The Gauntlet
by BleedOutYourEmpathy
Summary: Kagome holds one piece of the Infinity Gauntlet. How far will she go to keep it out of the wrong hands?
1. Sapphire

AN: Hello all! If you are fans of Plummet I assure you these stories are both my babies. Plummet is based on the true ending of the Inuyasha series, while this story is based on an alternate reality where Sesshoumaru prevents Kagome's trip down th well, as well as the Shikon being*le gasp* one of the gems of the Infinity Gauntlet. I hope you like it!

Chapter One: Sapphire

The Shikon no Tama hung around her neck like a prize waiting to be seized. Her black dress pants and severely tailored blue blouse accented the opalescent jewel perfectly, and not one person commented on the addition of a centuries-old family heirloom to her outfit. This was the council chamber of the great Sesshoumaru-sama after all. If he had allowed it, nobody in their right mind would make an ordeal out of it.

Kagome Higurashi was the only human member of the fifteen person panel of scientists, scholars, and businessmen. Sesshoumaru had removed his illusions and sat in full regalia, his hair so long Kagome wondered briefly if he had it professionally arranged prior to these monthly meetings. He was perfect and ethereal until he opened his mouth.

" We all know why I've called this meeting a week early. There is a being on his way here that threatens the security of Ningen-kai. A being powerful enough that these paltry human heroes have no hope of defeating him without.. aid. The question is what sort of aid can we afford to give?"

Sesshoumaru was an incredibly smart man, and Kagome could see that he was testing his men even now. He was guiding them down a path intellectually and leaving them to find their way through its maze. Kagome didn't comment for the time being. Her hand rested gently on the glimmering jewel. It had been a decade since it had seen the light of day, but the thing had screamed out at her soul all night.

A long-necked horse demon sighed, his river of brown hair tied back in a leather thong that was probably older than Kagome.

"We can't risk exposure. Beyond that, there is not much we can do in the form of aid that wouldn't betray us for what we are."

A lizard demon with an outrageous ruff made of flamboyant orange skin scoffed openly at the horse.

"So we offer no aid and let the planet be destroyed? All of us have seen the portents the fortune-teller has spoken of. We know what the creäture seeks!"

Sesshoumaru raised a regally striped hand with a nonchalance that bespoke of his character. Even the death of the world would not destroy his composure.

"If we cannot offer demon help at this time, perhaps we should send you, Miko."

Kagome looked up, startled for a moment at the stoic Lord's declaration. He was usually more than content to keep her in the estate, tending to matters of his in the human realm and looking after the Jewel. It was his way of repaying a debt he felt he owed her. If he was taking the risk of sending her (and thus the Jewel) away, it meant he was worried about the fate of the world. Truly worried, not just letting his council be afraid because it made them work well together.

"If my Lord wishes it, it will be done."

Kagome owed Sesshoumaru as well. More than she could ever repay in a hundred lifetimes.

A portly ox-demon snorted haughtily.

" With the Jewel? The very thing the creäture seeks out?"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his amber gaze on the ox, and the centuries of boredom seemed to lift from his gaze as his youki surfaced, filling the room with an invisible but potent tang of power.

"If I recommend the Miko, it means that I am fully aware of the danger she faces, and have determined that she is more than capable of handling them. Do you seek to challenge my words?"

The ox lowered his eyes was mentally packing her bags already as the council moved onto other, less pressing business.

* * *

Kagome was waiting at the airport with a single rolling case of luggage and a small carry-on purse. She had landed an hour ago and was still waiting for Sesshoumaru's american liason to show up. Her comfortable black business suit had survived the trip unwrinkled, although her shoes were beginning to make her feet ache.

Sighing, she called the phone number at top of her speed-dial.

" Hello."

Grinning, she figured Sesshoumaru was ankle-deep in paperwork without her.

"Missing me already, Lord?"

The irritated hnn summed up his emotions perfectly, and Kagome's laugh echoed over their connection like the tinkling of a bell.

"I was just wondering if you could call your contact. I've been here for an hour already and nobody has a sign or anything. I tried the paging system but nobody is answering. Are you sure this agency is legitimate?"

Sesshoumaru chuffed again.

"Do you question this Sesshoumaru, Miko? I will contact you shortly. I must speak with them."

He didn't say his farewells before hanging up, and Kagome settled in for a bit of a wait. Fifteen minutes later Sesshoumaru called her back, his voice containing that edge of steel she could only detect when he was truly miffed.

" You will be picked up in five minutes by a business associate's chauffeur. He will take you to the Stark Industries tower, and you will meet a member of the agency in question shortly after you arrive. They will apologize for making you wait and you will not tell them it is alright. It is not alright to waste your time, as it is the same as wasting mine. Understood?"

Kagome murmured an affirmative.

" Wait, isn't Stark the Iron Man?"

The click of dial-tone over the line had her murmuring a curse under her breath.

* * *

After the driver had picked up Kagome, she had made it to the tower in record time. Granted, that was because they had sped, cut people off, and generally been a road hazard.. but she was able to take a shower before meeting her liason, and that was a blessing. The stink of stale air was scrubbed off with her favorite lavender body wash, and her mint and lavender shampoo was soothing enough to almost put her to sleep.

Instead she found a periwinkle colored blouse, a high-waisted hair of palazzo pants, and a strappy pair of black sandals, and accessorized with the Shikon no Tama. She really had no choice but to wear it here, there was no high security shrine in this house. Besides, if someone came for it, she could defend the Jewel now.

The automated system for the tower was called Jarvis, and after the initial shock of a disembodied voice giving her directions, Kagome found her way to the interview room quickly, her portfolio in one hand and her cell phone in her pocket in case these people tried to hassle her again. Sesshoumaru's name opened quite a few doors, and even thought she disliked abusing it.. sometimes it was fun to make people sorry for treating her rudely.

She didn't have to wait long before a dark-skinned man in a full suit of body armor and a trench-coat entered. He was missing an eye, but his face was so severe looking that she figured he was more than capable of fighting when it came down to it. This was far different then the bureaucrat Kagome had expected. With him was a blank-faced blond man who was carrying a bow and had a quiver strapped to his back, of all things. Kagome wanted to smile and ask him what kind of bow it was, but this was business. She kept on the stony face Sesshoumaru had helped her construct.

The dark-skinned man took a seat across from her, while his counterpart leaned against the wall of the office, far enough off to shoot her if he had to. Kagome recognized the distance he put between them. Eyepatch spoke quietly, in a polite but flat tone.

"Miss Higurashi I presume? My name is Director Nicholas Fury. This is my associate Clint Barton. Please forgive us for any inconvenience you had getting here. After all the current unrest in the city we have been.. occupied."

Kagome nodded, not acknowledging the apology as Sesshoumaru wanted. After all, it wasn't much of one.

" I assume Sesshoumaru-sama informed you about why I came?"

Director Fury shrugged as he spoke.

"All he spoke to us about was his knowledge of a coming threat that is somehow related to the events of last month. If he hadn't been so..persuasive, we would have shrugged off his intel as an important man wanting attention."

Kagome laughed then, and it was real and pretty.

" I'm sorry, it's just so ridiculous to think of Sesshoumaru-sama as an attention seeker. He is a reclusive and quiet man by nature. He sent me as an emissary for that same reason. I figured he may have been vague. I brought a portfolio to brief you."

She flipped it open, pulling out a single picture first. It was of a teenage girl with a traditional miko's garb on.

" This is a picture of a miko- a priestess, if you will named Sukitano Ami. She possesses powers of premonition without parallel. He lives in Sesshoumaru-sama's home to protect herself from prying eyes. A month ago, when the blue cube you call the Tessaract ripped open a portal above this tower, she collapsed. When she woke up she spoke of a coming threat that could destroy our world."

Kagome slid the picture to one corner of the table, pulling out another. It was a picture of an ancient carving, done on an ivory box.

" This rendering was done in Japan six hundred years ago. It details the arrival of five jewels, each given to a priestess in one of these five shrines."

The third piece of paper was a map, the shrines circled in red pen. They formed a perfect circle.

" They were lost to time. All but the Jewel belonging to this shrine. It was entrusted to a miko who wanted to abandon her duty and marry a youkai.. a type of spirit. She was going to wish on the Jewel for the youkai to become human. But.. the youkai betrayed her. She sealed him away, and had the villagers burn the Jewel with her body."

She tapped the gem resting on her neck.

" When I was fourteen I went to the doctor for a routine physical. A lump was found in my hip, and they x-rayed the area. This is the result."

The x-ray showed not just a circular lump. The jewel in its entirety, string and accessory shards. Inside of her body.

"Sesshoumaru-sama had heard the story. He knew the legend of the Jewel and the area it had come from.. right around the shrine I grew up in. He trained me in archery, had miko train my special abilities. And when I was old enough he told me this Jewel had great power, and I was to protect it."

Kagome smiled, watching Fury. His face was unreadable, and she is she could guess, her money would be on him not believing her.

"I know. You are wondering what this story about ancient Japan has to do with the threat you've heard of. Well.. The jewels were originally called Soul Gems. This one specifically is called the Shikon no Tama. The Jewel of Four Souls. Each of the gems was an accessory for an armored glove, a gauntlet. The legend refers to a worthy warrior collecting all five gems and receiving the gauntlet."

The last piece of paper was a high-resolution telescopic photograph.

" This was taken at the request of my master. The seer gave him the specific place to look at, and he paid for the.. diversion of a satellite. Do you see the face?"

The sheer size of the man was massive. His eyes haunted Kagome the most. They were so.. dark.

"He is the man who backed the Chitauri's bid for power. He wants the gauntlet, and he will seek the Gems."

Fury watched her for a moment, before eyeing the Shikon.

" What makes you think we need your help to fight him?"

Kagome smiled.

"Oh, I can think of a few reasons. And before you get any stupid ideas, this jewel will stay with me. You cannot test it, touch it, remove it from my person or try to have it stolen from me. If you do, I will not be responsible for what it does while it isn't with me. Understood?"

Fury stood, trying to impose his power on her by showing her how tall and frightening he was. Compared to Sesshoumaru he was a positive kitten.

"I don't think you realise your situation here, Miss Higurashi."

" On the contrary, I understand completely. I even know how much time you have before he arrives. But before we speak further, I want your promise you will trust my ability to protect the jewel. In writing."

They argued for hours before Fury agreed to her terms, signing in the presence of two lawyers the contract she had worded. The Jewel would stay with her, and she was a consultant, not an associate of SHIELD. Therefore she wouldn't be subject to their tedious rules, but Fury had probably already guessed that.

He demanded a display of her combat training afterward. Kagome had secured a bow and quiver from Hawkeye's store, and had been taken to Stark's gym. There were already targets set up, and Kagome wondered if SHIELD had some sort of business deal with Stark to use his building, or if the Avengers sort of squatted there for lack of better housing.

Kagome was a flawless marksman, and Hawkeye was impressed. She had great form, and he noticed she held her bow in a very masculine stance. Whoever had taught her was tall, because the way she carried herself as she aimed seemed to elongate her torso. Her last arrow Robin Hooded, and he felt like calling foul on her, but this wasn't a competition, and destroying arrows wouldn't make her lose points.

"Great. But can you fight hand to hand?"

Kagome nodded, and Fury looked to Hawkeye, who shrugged and took his quiver off before going to the matted part of the floor. Kagome rolled her eyes and followed, wondering if Sesshoumaru would be angry when he heard she showed them her powers. She figured he would blame her and forget about it after a few days.

Kagome watched his movements the way Sesshoumaru had taught her to. Her blue eyes were so serious and calm, and when her palms began to glow pink Hawkeye took a slight step forward.

Kagome darted in, slapped him in the face with one burning pink hand, dropped to the floor, through the gap in his legs and swept his feet out from under him. Hawkeye caught himself halfway to the mat and kicked his leg out, catching her in the chest. Kagome jolted her power into his back with her hands, wrapping an arm around his neck to hang on. Hawkeye gripped her thighs in his hands and dropped backwards onto the mat. Kagome felt something pop in her back and directed some healing energy there.

His full weight was on her chest, and Kagome closed her eyes and pushed out with her power, generating a force field that threw Hawkeye off of her. He hit the roof and she winced, stepping out of the way as he came down, trying to rush her before he even got his wind back. Kagome drew a pure charge of energy into her palm, waiting.

" Magic is cheating, isn't it?"

Kagome smiled sweetly at Hawkeye.

"As my trainer always told me, if advantages were cheats then nobody would ever win a battle. Shall we consider this a draw, or would you like another jolt?"

She wasn't bragging, so Hawkeye decided to agree. His chest was on fire from whatever her power was, and he had hit the roof hard enough to pull a muscle in his neck.

"I'll agree to a draw. Nice footwork by the way. I've never seen someone move so fast."

Kagome wished she could tell him her secret, that it was nearly impossible for a human to hit a demon without years of training, but instead she smiled and shook hands with him. Fury watched her with sharp eyes. whatever she was.. he didn't know if he could trust it. An eccentric Japanese billionaire sends his personal attendant with information about their enemy? She has mystical powers and a magic gemstone?

Well.. there was too much evidence proving the threat was real for Fury to dismiss her, and he was curious about her powers. Best to play Taishou's game and keep her close. For now. He stepped forward and offered her a leather gloved hand, which he noticed she had no hard feelings about taking, her bright eyes holding no grudge for his earlier treatment of her.

"Well Miss Higurashi, welcome to Stark Tower. I hope our.. collaboration will be mutually beneficial."

Kagome read between the lines easily.

" I assure you it _will_ be, Director."


	2. Onyx

AN: Here is where comic canon will get a bit skewed. I am essentially melding the universes a bit to be original and make everything make sense. Feel free to rant if you don't like it!

Chapter Two: Onyx

Stark Tower had officially become ground zero of the healing effort after the destruction of the city. It was simple luck Stark had agreed to pick up and house Fury's overseas contact when the man had been caught up in a plethora of meetings. Fury would have been worried for the woman if he hadn't known Stark had a million gophers to do his bidding. It wasn't until after he met Higurashi that he decided he wanted Stark to terrorize her a little. The woman was unruffleable and in control of her element.

So when he brought in the Avengers to brief them on their new threat, he left Kagome out of the pow-wow. He could plant the seed in Stark's brain, and hopefully the man would find a way to annoy Kagome without infuriating his girlfriend. He laid out the evidence Kagome had brought with her, detailing the mystical gems, glove, and the picture she had obtained of the creature.

Stark looked nonplussed, and sat there touching his brow with one hand, intrigued but attempting to look hassled by being there. Rodgers was tense and restless during the entire presentation, and Thor looked positively green.

"You speak of the Infinity Gauntlet."

Fury looked to Thor and began to feel fear taking root. It made him very angry. He had hoped the woman would be proven wrong, but now they were embroiled in even more interdimensional calamity.

"The what?"

Thor looked like he may be sick.

"You speak of the creation of the Infinity Gauntlet. The human version of the myth. The true story is much darker."

Bruce looked to Thor, skeptical.

" You're telling me that this thing is real?"

Thor nodded, rubbing his jaw to hide his rising nausea. It had been years since he had spoken of the events surrounding the creation of the gauntlet. It had been a dark time in Asgard, and he had been small then.

"There is a realm we do not speak of, a destroyed and forgotten realm that exists at the end of the Bifrost. Thanos was a prince of this realm, the last of his people to survive. He was permitted mercy by my father, after the intercession of Heimdall. He was allowed to bring one thing into Asgard with him. He brought a single black petalled flower."

Thor looked so haunted that Tony didn't have the heart to tease him. The normally jovial warrior could weave a good narrative, and he had enscorcled them.

"He spoke to the flower often, and mostly remained in the rooms provided for skin was dark, sickly looking. He was a weak child, I remember. My father wouldn't permit me to speak with him, but one day Loki convinced me to spy on him on one of his rare trips outdoors. He began speaking to the flower, and it spoke back to him. In the voice of a woman. He told the voice that he was eager to meet it, and that he had done as it asked and "released the power" that killed everyone and destroyed his entire realm. But the voice said that he wasn't finished. He had to do the same on Asgard, and she had a gift for him."

Thor looked down, swallowing hard.

"We were didn't understand that he was truly evil.I convinced Loki it was our duty to follow him and figure out everything before telling kept going to a familiar well when he left his rooms. We didn't know it was off limits as children, just that our family told us it was dangerous, that we could drown. It is a well known as the Infinity Well. When one looks into it, one can see many things..usually it is used when one of us wants to sleep our final sleep. It brings death.. if you wish for it. But Thanos wished for something more sinister. He wished to.. please Death. He had seen her as a child, and it had forever warped him. He developed a perverse obsession with her. The death of his dimension was merely a tribute to her, and she had left him a flower, but he longed to see her for real."

He was tearing up. He hadn't been this emotional since returning from Asgard to help them rebuild.

"He planned on doing the same to us. The gift from Death was a gauntlet, found at the bottom of the Infinity Well. Thanos nearly drowned recovering it. After, he seemed to know what his course of action would be. He began killing. I could never prove it.. but in the end he was found out. He would kill the best, the strongest of us..and convert the souls into gems. The gems were put into empty slots on the gauntlet. With each death, his physical body gained the strength of his kills. The minds of the Asgardians he destroyed lived on in the gems, to be used for his purposes. Multiple souls occupied each gem, and it took time to build them."

Bruce couldn't believe it, but Thor had often explained that superior technology permitted things akin to magic. Still.. there was a lot of talk of souls. He didn't know what to make of that.

"So how did you defeat him?"

Steve was on the edge of his seat.

" We didn't. He was banished to a dimension of infinite darkness when he vexed Death by killing Baldur, one of her favorites. He was my elder brother, and the Lord of the Warriors. He would have been king, had he not died at the hands of Thanos. Our father, in his grief, tried to sacrifice his own eye to the Infinity Well, asking Death to retrieve Baldur and return him. But his soul was already inside one of the gems, and Death could no more bring him back than Father could. Death warned us that Thanos would return. He was too much in her favor to be banished forever, after all."

No wonder he was so shaken by the news, Steve thought. Reaching out, he patted Thor on the back gently, careful not to startle him and end up a splat on the floor.

"What about the gauntlet?"

Of course Fury just wanted to get to the bottom line.

"Death had banished Thanos, but left the Gauntlet in my Father's hands. He kept the glove itself, and distributed the gems throughout Midgard. Eventually they made their way to one continent, and were assembled once again. Without the gauntlet to focus the power, we were able to contain the creature responsible and collect all the gems witholding the one this woman claims to possess. The others were returned to Asgard and kept safe, since we have no trustworthy Midgard priests or priestesses left to safehold them. But as far as Thanos is concerned, they could all still be here."

Fury was very pale now as well. The table went silent.

God.

"So he won't stop here. He'll try and destroy Asgard as well?"

"Once he is finished here he surely will. If he possesses the gauntlet and resets the stones, he will possess all the powers of a god."

Tony wondered why Odin hadn't used the gauntlet if it was so powerful, but decided when something had been made with the soul of your dear son it might be offensive to you.

" Why didn't Loki use them when he was in power?"

"He couldn't have. My father keeps the gems in the hollow of his eye, where they can be truly safe."

Tony was sorry he had asked now.

"What do we do about this? We have a being on the way here with the powers of multiple asgardians, a man who kills to please death itself. Any ideas?"

Thor stood up then, brushing off his face with a hand.

"We fight. If we cannot win we use the gauntlet in Asgard to destroy this realm and Thanos with it."

The table burst into commotion, and Fury wished this Thanos into a dark hole for ruining his month.

Meanwhile, Kagome slept sweetly in her borrowed bedroom. Her worries could wait until morning.


End file.
